Street Style Berlin: Grey Done Well

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When I was in Berlin a few weeks ago, I was out for a walk with my sister on a Sunday afternoon, when I spotted a very well dressed gentleman on the street.

Johannes Wiik - Gentleman's Gazette Reader
Johannes Wiik – Gentleman’s Gazette Reader

As he was waiting for a light to turn green, I complemented his outfit, and it turned out he was Norwegian and just in town for a couple of days. Our conversation continued and I asked if he’d be willing to have a picture taken for our website. When I explained to him that I write for the Gentleman’s Gazette, he said: “Ah, I read that regularly – fantastic magazine!”. I was stunned (happily so!)  that I had found one of our readers from Norway, in the German capital, while I visited from the US. The internet has really made this world a smaller place. In terms of clothing, I think the website has really helped like-minded people to exchange ideas and connect with one another. In any case, I was very flattered and pleased.

Of course, Mr. Johannes Wiik happily obliged to have his picture taken; his outfit was was anything but flashy, but rather refined and distinguished.

The Paletot Overcoat

Shoulder Seam Diagonal Twill Overcoat
Shoulder Seam Diagonal Twill Overcoat

We recently presented articles about the Paletot overcoat and diagonal twill garments, and Mr. Wiik wore just that: a vintage charcoal topcoat, which was made by Chester Barrie for Gieves & Hawkes years ago. From afar, it looked uniform in color, but upon closer inspection, the twill structure became instantly visible.
Initially, I strongly assumed his overcoat was from the UK because of his buttons, which had a typical English hollow and a slight drape,  but it turned out Mr. Wiik had the buttons replaced. Nevertheless, I was correct about the UK. The 6×2 button placement, 3 sleeve buttons, peaked lapels and flap pockets all very discreetly expressed the essence of a town topcoat. For some reason, the lapels pointed a little away from the shoulder, but a good iron should remedy this issue instantaneously.

Blazer & Grey Worsted Trousers

Pewter Buttons
Pewter Buttons

Underneath his topcoat, Mr. Wiik wore a white shirt from Henry Poole, a scarf he borrowed from his girlfriend,  as well as a navy Blazer and grey worsted trousers.
The blazer was made of the classic navy blue serge fabric – a rather smooth twill – and had beautiful pewter buttons featuring St. George and the dragon. Pewter is a silver-colored metal alloy that consists of 85-99%  tin with the remainder consisting of bismuth, antimony copper and/or lead. In combination with the grey coat, the silver buttons were much more subtle than gold buttons would have been. Alternatively, mother of pearl buttons would have looked great in my opinion.

His trousers were made of a classic worsted fabric and once again, they were tailored by Henry Poole of Savile Row.

Two Tone Balmoral Boots & Spit Shine

Two Tone Black - Grey Velour Balmoral Boots
Two Tone Black – Grey Velour Balmoral Boots

The trousers were paired with black and velour grey Ready-To-Wear boots with a beautiful chisel toe from Foster  & Son – supposedly London’s oldest established shoemaker, with a history dating back to 1840. It seems like the right trouser leg got caught a little by the boot but that’s life. Overall, he looked superb! You probably noticed that Mr. Wiik knows how to spit shine his boots – something he learned while serving as an officer in the Norwegian Cavalry many years ago.

Gloves & Silk Cap

Elegant Outfit in Muted Colors
Elegant Outfit in Muted Colors

The black leather gloves come from Dents and the cap looked like a herringbone tweed. However, this particular style of cap is produced by Stetson and is made of 100% silk!

Overall, I liked his sophisticated outfit. Although he was very pleased with Henry Poole’s bespoke quality and service in the past, Johannes is not a strict brand loyalist and he is more interested in good quality and service. As such, he wore his girlfriend’s no-name scarf, an off-the-peg item that happened to fit him.

Now, if you have an noteworthy outfit of which you would like to send us photos – please go ahead – we’d love to present it to our readers. Who knows, maybe we meet each other on the street in the near future!

Reader Comments

    1. Dear Ray, Thanks for sharing the picture. I am sure we’d have a great time. Right now, i am on vacation and will get back to you once I am back. Nevertheless, there will be a number of articles in the coming days. Have a great week!

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